Jefferson’s Ocean Spray Bourbon Review

ERIN'S NOTES

NOSE: Maple Syrup  |  Deep Cherry  | Pumpkin Pie Spice

TASTE: Orange Zest  |  Peat  |  Faint Tartness

FINISH: Very round, with a hint of rubber galoshes. It certainly lingers: it doesn't burn, but it also doesn't fade.

SHARE WITH: Anyone suffering from a UTI. Your relative who loves the out-of-the-can cranberry sauce.

WORTH THE PRICE: Considering bottles from this coveted collab are destined straight for secondary, it all depends on how desperate you are for an Ocean vertical and you could never break that chain. However, if you have any dreams you'd like to sell, it may be worth it.

BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: If you don't love this now, you will never love it again, as this bottle could easily be the eighth wonder.

OVERALL: Jefferson's has done it again and just in time for the holidays! Never was there a more perfect release that pairs perfectly with Thanksgiving dinner.

The gentle tartness of the palate will blend perfectly with the salinity of a well-brined turkey, and especially one with a crisp, fried skin. Not a meat eater? Not to fear, Jefferson's Ocean Spray also complements the nutty/salty flavor circus of a traditional green bean casserole, and even helps cut the sweetness of a marshmallow-topped sweet potato dish. Regardless of your favorite Thanksgiving side, Jefferson's Ocean Spray is its best liquid companion. This release gleans its versatility in flavor from long days bobbing gently atop the bog waters, receiving only gentle nudges from both cranberry harvesters and the Massachusetts crisp air alike.

Have a relative who is more a vodka drinker? I challenge them to give this  a try! Substitute Jefferson's Ocean Spray for vodka in a traditional Cosmo and watch their delight as they discover a new favorite. Darren Star has returned to relevancy not just via his Netflix hit Emily in Paris, but through this nod to his original smash hit Sex & the City. Funny story: it was actually a SATC marathon that gave Trey Zoeller the idea for this innovative collaboration.

In Season 4, he saw how leading lady Carrie Bradshaw attempts to order a Cosmo alongside a cheeseburger and large fry from the McDonald's drive-thru window. "If only Carrie could have a drink that truly complemented such a classic Americana meal," Zoeller wondered. Fat and salt pair perfectly with the corn sweetness and barrel caramel notes of bourbon, so why couldn't she also quench her Cosmo fix? With just an essence of Ocean Spray cranberry, gleaned from the iconic bogs in which they grow, exactly this was possible. So who knows? Maybe in Season 2, we could see Emily order a steak frites and a Jefferson's Ocean Spray as a nod to the Star protagonist who came before her.

BRAND NOTES

FLAVOR: Pecans, orange zest, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.

FINISH: Gentle hints of apple and pear juice, with a touch of corn syrup.

NOSE: If you take cranberries and stew them like apple sauce, it tastes much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Really very complex which is a testament to the lightness of the nose.

Building on the wildly successful releases and massive demand for the prior Ocean voyages, Jefferson's Ocean Spray seizes upon the uniquely American waterway of the cranberry bog. Only one of three fruits native to North America, the cranberry is both an antioxidant-packed superfruit and a staple in Native American medicine. In fact, cranberries were used by Native Americans to draw poison from arrow wounds. Cranberries are also an excellent source of Vitamin C, which helps build strong immunity and fight viruses. The cranberry truly is the "wonderberry."

The viscosity of this release truly transforms and sets it apart from the prior OCEARCH-aged releases. The natural pectins in cranberries impart a unique mouthfeel to this voyage, as well as the gentle tartness imparted from the proximity to the berry harvest. Though this voyage has neither crossed the equator nor the prime meridian, it has risen with the flooding and sanding during winter months, gently rolled across the acidic, peaty foundation of a Massachusetts cranberry bog, and pulled off the bog right after the fall wet harvest.

Decanted from the barrel right after the beginning of the November harvest, the flavor of the cranberry is faint but impossible to ignore. This bottle is both the perfect companion and perfect gift for the holiday season.

Then, somebody had the bright idea to compete with vodka in its own space. Instead of vodka and cranberry juice, they marketed bourbon and cranberry.

Fred Minnick, Wall Street Journal-Bestselling Author, Bourbon Curator & Taster, Ascot-Wearer in Chief

Disclaimer: Jefferson's Bourbon did not provide Bourbon & Banter with a sample of their product for this review because it is as real as the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, & that Lusty Claw is actually sourced from Stitzel Weller. It's a joke damnit! However, we do appreciate their sense of humor and willingness to take part in our parody efforts. Thank you.